Intermediate stacking device



May 24, 1960 F. RUPP 2,937,869

INTERMEDIATE STACKING DEVICE Filed Feb. 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 14%, Wowltt o rue/5 May 24, 1960 F. RUPP 2,937,869

INTERMEDIATE STACKING DEVICE Filed Feb. 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fru-fz Ru. P P

. I TINTERMEDIA'IESTAGKINGFDEVICE' Fritz Rupp, Augsburg, Germany, assignor to Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nurnberg, A.G., Augsburg, Germany Filed Feb. 25, 1959, Ser. No. 795,387

Claims priority, application Germany Apr. 3, 1958 4 Claims. (Cl. 271-86) that the latter can be withdrawn when fully stacked and the sheets coming from the printing press temporarily received upon the slatted table without interruption of the press. When a new delivery table is put in place, the slatted table is withdrawn so that the sheets are again deposited upon the main table.

The intermediate slatted table is normally rolled upon a shaft and connected by straps to springs so that, when the shaft is released, the slatted table is quickly pulled into position above the main table by action of the springs. The slatted table must be moved .into position at approximately the speeds of the sheets being delivered from the press and between the delivery of two successive sheets. When the shaft holding the rolled up table is released by manually pressing a butto'n, it is diflicult to press the release button at the exact moment for pulling the slatted table into position over the main table between the delivery of two successive sheets. The skill of the press operator must therefore be relied upon.

The object of this invention is to produce a device by which the slatted table is mechanically released and drawn into position for receiving sheets between the interval of two successive sheets from the press.

Generally, the object is obtained by providing the pawl which holds the shaft upon which the slatted table is wound against rotation with a spring-tensioned lever and having the free end of this lever intermittently engaged with an oscillating or swinging lever. A revolving cam timed with respect to the delivery of sheets from the printing press actuates the swinging lever. The pawl normally locks with a ratchet on the shaft in one position of the spring-tensioned control lever. When the control lever is moved to an opposite position, the pawl is no longer held by the control lever; and then, when the swinging lever disengages from the end of the pawl lever, the pawl will be released from the ratchet, and the slatted UHiE-dSWS, Patent As-shown in Figure 1,. temporarily thereover a slatted table 5 which is adapted tozbe' withdrawn" and rolled upon a ratchetshaftz6. [The free end of slatted table, 5 'i'sconnected byzstraps 7 to a spring-tensioned roll 8. Roll 8 and side;railxguides 9sare mounted on a supporting frame 10.

According to this invention, the ratchet Wheel 15 on shaft 6 is engaged by a locking pawl lever 16, which is pivotally mounted on shaft 17 and has a free end 16a. A control lever 18 is connected to shaft 17 and joined by a leaf spring 19 to pawl lever 16. One end of the spring 19 is seated in a groove 17a in shaft 17, while the other end is held between a pair of pins 19b on pawl lever 16. A lever 20 pivots on a shaft 20:: so that its lower end will swing or oscillate when the upper end is moved by cam 21 which is driven from the press P in time with the delivery of the sheets from the press. The lower end of swing lever 20 contains a notch 22 which intermittently engages with and disengages from the free end 16a of pawl lever 16. The free end of lever 18 is held in either of its opposite positions by engaging notches 18a in a member of the supporting frame.

In operation, the slatted table 5 is normally wound up on shaft 6 by being pulled against the pressure of the springs in roller 8 and being held in wound up position by the pawl 16 engaging ratchet 15. When the lever 18 is in its upper position as shown in full lines, Figure 2, the leaf spring 19 is bowed downwardly and, in striving to straighten itself, urges pawl lever 16 in a counterclock wise direction and thus holds the pawl in locking engagee ment with the ratchet 1.5. When lever 18 is moved into n its downward position, leaf spring 19 is bowed upwardly and the pawl would be released unless otherwise held.

However, during substantially one full revolution of cam 21, the lower end of swing lever 20 is urged into engagej ment with the end 16a of the pawl lever by the pull or;

' spring 21a so that notch 22 prevents pawl lever 16 from table drawn into position for temporarily receiving sheets delivery table 1 has become filled and needs to be replaced, the press operator pushes lever 18 into its lower position. Then, when the cam revolves, it oscillates lever 20 substantially. as a sheet is being delivered to the stack on table 1 so that end 16a is released, thus releasing the ratchet and the slatted table is drawn into place above 7' table 1 by roller 8 before'the next sheet is delivered from The table 5 is'thus drawn into place at apthe press. proximately the delivery speed of the sheets and between the discharge of two successive sheets from the press. Consequently, the lever 18 does not need to be manually moved by the press operator at exactly the right moment for release of the locking pawl, but the actual release is timed by the cam 21.

Having now described the means by which the objects of the invention are obtained, I claim: 1. In combination with an intermediate stackingfdevice for sheets coming froma printing press an'd'including' a flexible slatted'table, a shaft upon which said slatted table is wound into a roll adjacent one end of a stacking table, a locking pawl engaging said shaft and mo'vable table and adapted to be pre-tensioned, and strap means joining said slatted table and said first spring means for unwinding said roll upon release 'of' said shaft, the imf I provement comprising a swinging lever oscillatable by a cam in time with the delivery of sheets tosaid stacking table and intermittently lockingly. engageable with said pawlv in intervals between the delivery of two successive sheets to the stacking table, a control lever, .and second spring means connecting said control lever to "said pawl K for locking and unlocking said pawl to said shaft in opposite positions, respectively, of saidcontrollever and thus,

themain delivery table 1. has

unwinding said slatted table by the action of said first spring means when said pawl is non-engaged. either by said swinging lever or by said control lever.

2. In the combination of claim 1, said cam means being adapted to be actuated by a printing press for oscillating saidswinging lever.

4. In the combination of claim 1, a ratchet on said shaft, said pawl including a pawl lever extending between said ratchet and said swinging lever, and a leaf spring interconnecting said pawl lever and said control lever.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,859,966 Reinartz et a1 Nov. 11, 1958 

